Chapter 9
“Dad, what does this mean?” Yu Tianwei was stunned for a moment, then immediately objected. “little hamster is still so young! What can he possibly do on his own? He doesn’t even know how to bargain!”
“If an actual apocalypse is coming, do you think you can protect him for his entire life?” Yu Yuanzhou retorted, thoroughly annoyed. “Did you read all those web novels you stayed up late for in college for nothing? Spoiling a child is like slowly killing him! It’s fine during peacetime, but in a post-apocalyptic world, a soft personality like his will get him eaten alive!”
Tianwei immediately recalled the heartbroken expression on little hamster’s face when he mentioned getting separated from them. Her heart ached with a sharp, bitter pang. Gritting her teeth, she conceded, “I understand that, but… you can’t just let go all at once! He can still ask me for help.”
“No, he needs to learn.”
As father and daughter argued back and forth, the little hamster at the center of the dispute sat quietly on the sofa. He glanced to the left, then to the right, and gently patted his tummy.
The little hamster is hungry.
Reaching up with two tiny pink paws, he rubbed his fluffy cheeks and fished a small treat from his pouch. It was a nutritious seed biscuit made of pumpkin seeds, sunflower kernels, dried vegetables, dehydrated fruits, cornflakes, and several grains of rice.
Yes, it was another gift his sister had secretly brought last night. Hah! She had originally planned to adopt another hamster behind his back! It was a good thing he got to her first, or else such delicious treats would have gone to some other undeserving hamster.
The slightly petty little hamster took immense satisfaction in that thought. He sank his front teeth into the snack: “Chomp!”
A small corner broke off, though the edge was rather jagged since one of his front incisors was still chipped. Still, the biscuit was delightfully crunchy, dense, and fragrant—perfect for grinding his teeth down.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Crunch, crunch, crunch~
The more he worked his teeth, the faster the enamel would grow back.
Amid their heated debate, the father and daughter suddenly caught the crisp, rhythmic sound of a small creature sneaking a meal in the spacious living room. It sounded remarkably appetizing.
Watching the little hamster eat with such pure relish, Yu Yuanzhou couldn’t help but feel his own stomach rumble.
“Little Yuan.”
“Huh?” The little hamster looked up with wide, innocent eyes, gazing expectantly at his uncle.
Before the older man could even explain himself, the well-mannered little creature raised both paws and offered the half-eaten biscuit. “Here.”
His uncle looked so hungry! “The little hamster will share half with you.” With a sharp snap, he cracked the treat in two, generously passing the larger piece to his uncle while clutching the smaller scrap to finish himself.
“Is this… actually good?” Yu Yuanzhou hadn’t intended to ask, but curiosity got the better of him. He gingerly took a tentative bite.
It was dry, hard, and coarse against his palate. Worst of all, many of the grains weren’t cooked through; the unhulled rice grains felt like bits of gravel between his teeth. Yet, faced with the little hamster’s bright, expectant stare, Yu Yuanzhou forced himself to swallow the dry mouthful with a heavy gulp.
He quickly steered the conversation away. “Ahem… Little Yuan, exactly how large is your spatial dimension?”
“One special realm can hold living creatures, but that’s about it. Anything placed inside the regular storage realm is completely frozen in time,” the little hamster explained, counting carefully on his tiny claws. “And it only accepts items that the little hamster has gathered personally.”
“The Seven Catastrophes: bitter cold, scorching heat, torrential rain, catastrophic floods, earthquakes, seven days of complete darkness, and zombie evolution…” The more Yu Yuanzhou repeated the list, the heavier his heart sank. “Can humanity truly survive seven rounds of trials like that? What was the infection rate on the very first day?”
“I heard it was ninety percent, but I’m not completely certain,” the little hamster pondered. “That was just the rumor going around once we reached a survivor-built safe zone.”
He opened his mouth to explain further. “During the seven—”
Huh?
He licked his lips, looking utterly bewildered. “The seven…”
He couldn’t get the words out!
How was that possible? Could he not talk about the apocalypse? Hadn’t he just mentioned the Seven Catastrophes moments ago?
The little hamster froze in place, his pink front paws dangling limp against his chest as he stared blankly at his uncle.
Yu Yuanzhou immediately picked up on the anomaly. “What were you trying to say?” he asked gently, keeping his voice calm and guiding. “Did you find yourself physically unable to speak?”
The little hamster nodded furiously. “Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Yes, exactly! It’s completely unfair—why is the little hamster suddenly silenced?!
“Seven?” Yu Yuanzhou moved closer, settling onto the sofa cushions and resting the hamster on the armrest. “Were you trying to describe the Seven Catastrophes?”
The little hamster nodded eagerly once more. “Squeak, squeak, squeak!” Yes, yes, yes!
“Were you trying to reveal the specific events you lived through during those trials?” Yu Yuanzhou looked down at the soft, fluffy face. The little creature was so frustrated that his tiny paws were clenched against his chest and his velvety ears twitched nonstop, looking both pitiful and endearing.
His nephew was an open book. One look into those clear eyes revealed his thoughts without a single word needed.
How had such a delicate, innocent soul managed to endure such a brutal world? Without family by his side, which of those horrific trials had finally broken him?
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” The hamster nodded frantically again, whining in frustration. “Didn’t I just talk about them? Why can’t I say it now?”
“Because what you shared earlier was merely the general outline of the disasters,” Tianwei said, her tone growing solemn as she gently stroked his head. “What you were about to reveal just now were the actual events of the future. The first was like telling us what subjects are on the exam; the second was handing us the answer key.”
A wave of protectiveness washed over her, and she patted his back reassuringly. “Don’t be frightened, little one. You have me and your uncle with you now.”
“Mm-hmm!” Clutching his remaining biscuit crumb, the little hamster nodded in a daze.
With his uncle and sister by his side, the lingering dread in his chest gradually faded. Still, he hadn’t anticipated that this world’s underlying laws would place such tight restrictions on a spiritual beast. First, his personal hoard of spiritual treasures had been wiped out upon arrival, and now he was forbidden from speaking freely of the timeline ahead.
He had assumed surviving the end of the world would be a breeze for a magical beast like him, but reality was clearly far more complicated.
That afternoon, Yu Yuanzhou took it upon himself to teach Little Taro Ball how to budget, purchase wholesale, and secure reliable supply chains.
In the study, the older man sat with a stern, focused expression, methodically noting down logistics and explaining the reasoning behind each step to the little hamster resting beside his hand.
Whenever he reached a crucial detail, he would pause, peering down at the tiny creature who had burrowed into his palm, clearly attempting to doze off. “Did you catch that?”
The little hamster, who had been drifting off a second earlier, would snap his eyes wide open and nod with exaggerated vigor.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” Loud and clear!
“You really were born to be a little slacker, weren’t you?” Yu Yuanzhou sighed in fond exasperation, deciding not to push his nephew any further.
Folding the sheet of notes into a neat square, he offered it to the furball. “Tuck this into your cheek and review it when you need to. Go on, take your afternoon nap.”
“Thank you, Uncle! Sleep well, Uncle!”
The little hamster eagerly took the paper, stuffed it into his mouth, spun around, and hopped straight off the desk.
Unfortunately, his stubby legs failed to stick the landing. Before he could find his balance, he went tumbling head over heels—roll, tumble, roll—all the way to the study door!
Yu Yuanzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He bolted from his chair, rounding the heavy desk in an instant. “Little Yuan! Are you all right?”
Dazed, the little hamster wriggled his head out from under his own round tummy. The tiny accessory his sister had clipped to his head earlier had gone flying across the floorboards.
He stared at the pink bunny ears with deep grievance. “Squeak…” Then he looked up at his uncle with watery eyes.
“Uncle will build you a miniature slide right off the desk this afternoon!” Yu Yuanzhou promised without hesitation. “The moment you wake up, you’ll have your very own slide to ride down!”
“Squeak?” The grievance vanished instantly, replaced by sparkling enthusiasm. Really?
“Word of honor. Uncle promises.” Crouching down, Yu Yuanzhou gently stroked the fluffy head, retrieved the little headband, and clipped it back into place. “There, you’re a proper handsome little hamster again. Off to bed with you.”
“Mm-hmm!” Bouncing with renewed joy, the little hamster gave his plump rear a happy wiggle and trotted back to the bedroom.
Watching him leave, Yu Yuanzhou felt both amused and helpless. “Why is he so determined to stay in hamster form these days?”
He had asked earlier, and the boy admitted that being a hamster simply felt safer.
Yu Yuanzhou didn’t even want to contemplate the dark memories that drove that sense of vulnerability. What horrors had his gentle nephew experienced in that ruined future?
Sigh. This time would be different. He would never let his family be torn apart again, and Little Yuan would have the time he needed to grow strong.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, the yawning hamster used his round little head to burrow determinedly beneath the heavy quilt. He managed to conceal his head entirely, but his plump backside remained sticking out into the cool air. His tiny, pink tail—barely the size of a fingernail—swayed contentedly back and forth.
Within minutes, even the little tail stilled.
The little hamster was fast asleep.
Back in the study, Tianwei stepped inside shortly after her brother left. “Dad, are we really dropping the supermarket plan?”
“We are. A retail shop can’t supply the specialized gear needed to survive the Seven Catastrophes,” Yu Yuanzhou replied, a sharp, calculating glint in his eyes. “Didn’t your brother mention a ninety percent infection rate on day one? That means societal order will collapse in an instant. When that happens…”
“We loot?” Tianwei’s eyes lit up with sudden realization.
“Loot?” Yu Yuanzhou’s steady, mature face cracked into a faint, knowing smile. He shook his head mildly. “Who would we be stealing from? It’s only theft if you take from the living. All we will be doing is gathering resources from the walking dead and distributing them to those who need them most, giving humanity a fighting chance to survive.”
“Dad, I never knew you were so selfless!” Tianwei admitted. She certainly possessed a moral compass, but her family’s survival came first. If their safety was guaranteed, however, she was more than willing to lend a helping hand to others.
“It isn’t about being selfless… it’s for your brother.” He gave his daughter a meaningful look. “Don’t you see? Your brother was struck silent earlier. That is likely the cosmic toll for possessing foresight.
“Since he carries that burden, our family must accumulate good karma on his behalf. We must rescue as many survivors as we can.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Yu Yuanzhou continued in a firm, businesslike tone. “I need you to map out every regional manufacturer of heavy down coats, thermal clothing, waterproof ponchos, and umbrellas. Locate suppliers for ice axes, winter boots, snowboards, solid-fuel camping stoves, snowmobiles, all-terrain motorcycles, and utility vehicles. Compile their physical warehouse floor plans and print them out.
“Ordinary survivors won’t think to look for these specialty tools, and standard shopping centers don’t stock them. Once safe bases are formed, these materials will be priceless. Better yet, they are durable, easy to store, and won’t consume precious space in your brother’s dimension. When the time comes, we can lead scavenging teams directly to the supply depots using your maps.”
Naturally, they would secure a top-tier set for their own family of three first, stashing it safely inside the hamster’s dimensional pouch.
Tianwei grasped the strategy immediately. “I’ll start gathering intelligence right away.”
To avoid drawing unwanted scrutiny, she couldn’t outsource the task to private investigators; that would look far too much like industrial espionage. She would have to compile the database herself, framing her inquiries around corporate acquisitions and business expansion within the provincial industrial zones.
As for Yu Yuanzhou?
Adults had heavy-duty logistics to handle. He needed to leverage his corporate network and social capital to commission custom modifications for several armored off-road vehicles, secure heavy-duty transport snowmobiles, and acquire… certain defensive supplies that only an experienced insider could obtain.
Many of these items typically required months on a waiting list, a luxury they didn’t have. If brand-new units couldn’t be expedited, he would scour the secondary market for high-performance models. Budget was irrelevant; performance was everything. The Yu family was not short on capital. The higher the quality of their gear now, the safer their family of three would be when civilization crumbled.
While dialing a contact to place an urgent order for specialized studded snow tires and heavy-duty tire chains, a sudden thought struck him.
I must tell Tianwei to buy some premium hamster food for her brother… and perhaps some miniature hamster outfits.
Being able to shift into an unassuming animal form was Little Yuan’s ultimate trump card—a hidden layer of personal security.
“We should also look into those tiny electric toy cars made for hamsters. I saw a short video where a hamster drove its own little car around the house. How could our family’s child not have one?”
Musing to himself, Yu Yuanzhou opened an online shopping app and promptly ordered ten miniature toy motorcycles for the little hamster—one in every available color!
Checking the estimated delivery for that evening, a deeply satisfied smirk spread across his face.
Hmph~ When that little rascal wakes up, he’s going to be moved to tears by his wonderful uncle!
After all, what other hamster in the world gets to cruise around in his own fleet of sports cars the moment he opens his eyes?
Only the precious boy of the Yu household!
